Found
by Tina101
Summary: A boat! At last, after nearly 8 years of waiting, those on the island are finally saved! But how will they adapt to their new surroundings? I suck at summaries at least this one just please Read and Review the 2 R's
1. The Boat

Chapter 1-The Boat 

Keep watch that was her job. Even though she had 2 children asleep in a tent and a "husband" who was off doing god only knows what. It hadn't been safe for the children to be left alone on the island, but that was before Danielle had gone mad and killed herself. That was before the "Others" had been killed. Now, the island was as safe as it was going to get. It had been 7 years. Seven years of not knowing what was going on in the world around them. Seven years of waiting for nothing, for the hopeless. Seven years of dreaming that one-day, they would put a rudder to the island they were stuck on.

"Kate!" She turned around. There, approaching her was her husband, Jack. "Kate! Come, and get some rest. Claire's offered to take your shift," he said as he approached her.

"I'm fine, I was just thinking," she said in reply.

"Are you sure? You look pretty tired to me." Jack sat down next to her on the beach.

"I'm sure. Listen, I'll come to the tent later, you should go and check on the kids." Jack got up. Kate heard him mutter something that sounded like, "women," as he walked away. Kate rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to the horizon.

About a year ago, it was decided that people would keep watch during the night for any passing ships. Two towers of logs were ready to be burned if any ship passed within eye-range. Tonight, it was Kate's turn to look for ships. Charlie had gathered the kids, and there were a lot of them, in the tent that he shared with Claire, and read to them from the Bible he had found in a bag in the jungle. After reading to them for a while, they all scattered to their respective tents. Jack and Kate had Lily and Tommy. Lily was 3 and Tommy was 5. Sayid and Shannon had Chad who was 6 and they were expecting another in another month or so. Aaron had grown up calling Charlie, "Daddy," so the name stuck, and Charlie became Aaron's Dad. They also had Spencer who was just 6 months, and Megan who was also 5. Then there was Walt. He explained how he had escaped from the Others, and now lived in a tent by himself. There were other children on the island, from various people who hadn't even known each other a few years ago. The plane-crash had brought them together, as a community. Everyone had a job, whether it was gathering food, or teaching the children. It was felt by everyone that just because they were on an island, doesn't mean that they shouldn't know how to read, write, and do basic math. That job was given to Hurley, and sometime Charlie, depending on who wasn't doing other jobs.

Kate was so lost in thought that she almost missed it. A boat, about a mile or so away. She stood up so quickly that she almost fell back down. This wasn't a small boat like the Others had, this was a big boat, a cruise ship.

"Light the pillars!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. "There's a boat!" People sprung into action. Within seconds, both pillars of logs had been lit, and were burning nicely. Charlie came up to her.

"Do you think they'll stop?" he asked her, she could hear the anticipation in his voice.

"I hope so Charlie, I really do."


	2. The Oceanica

**Author's Note-**Sorry Chapter 1 was so short, but hey, if everything goes my way, this chapter should be up like the day after. So if you're complaining, just STOP! And please review this. Oh, did I forget to mention that this is AU (alternate universe) kinda, shorta, not really, but who's complaining?

**Chapter 2- The Oceanica**

Kate then realized that those at the caves had no clue what was going on. The whole beach was now a buzz with excitement.

"Daddy! Daddy! What's going on?" Megan asked, rushing up to Charlie. She had Charlie's baby face, and Claire's vivid-blue eyes.

"Nothing, baby. Go back to sleep," Charlie responded.

"Then why are they burning those?" she demanded, pointing at the burning pillars.

"Megan! Go and tell Mommy that she needs to get out here…_now_!" Megan pouted, but then ran off to her tent.

"I'm going to go and tell Jack. He's at the caves. Keep the children out of sight, just in case," Kate told Charlie.

"Um…okay, Kate," Charlie replied. Kate then took off full-speed towards the caves. Branches slapped Kate's face, tearing at her clothes as she ran the familiar path towards the caves. Around 2 years ago, they had cleared away most of the branches on the path leading to the caves, but they always seemed to grow back. Sweat trickled down her neck as she bolted the last 100 yards to the caves.

"Jack!" she called out. "I need Jack!" People sat up from where they were sleeping, grumbling about being woken up so early.

"Kate, what's wrong?" Locke asked, grabbing her by the shoulders.

"There's a boat, not a mile or so off the coast. Locke, it might stop!" Kate said, gasping for air. People were now wide awake; those who had slept through Kate's intrusion were being woken up.

"It might not stop, Kate. You have to realize that. If it does, it might not be big enough for everyone to get on.

"It looks like a cruise ship! If it stops, we might be out of here."

Jack came through some bushes. "Kate, what's wrong." Kate quickly explained what had happened.

"Locke's right, honey. It might not stop," Jack explained.

"It _might_. You're always so negative. It might stop."

"Kate, you can't keep getting people's hopes up. Things have finally settled down on this island, people are starting to accept that we might never be rescued," Locke said. There was another rustle in the bushes behind them. Out immerged Charlie. Plastered on his face was, unmistakably, a grin.

"The boat, it stopped! I think we have a chance here!" he announced. Everyone was now in a complete frenzy to get to the beach.

"Maybe things will work out this time around," Jack said to himself. He quickly went to wake up Lily and Tommy.

"Lily, Tommy, wake up," he said, shaking them slightly. Both groaned, and rolled back over. Shannon was having just as much success with Chad.

"They can sleep through a hurricane," Shannon said. Her whole attitude changed dramatically when she found out she was a mother.

"I think they did once or twice," Jack replied, he then turned back to his kids. "Guys, we're going to the beach."

Tommy moaned, "It's too early, Daddy."

"It's really important, and I can't leave you here alone."

"What about Walt?" Lily asked, sitting up, and rubbing her eyes with her small fists.

"I think he's going to be at the beach too. Everyone's going to be there."

"Like a party?" Lily asked, perking up slightly. Shannon smiled.

"Not exactly, but I really need you to come. You can go back to sleep there." Satisfied with what their Father had said, both Lily and Tommy got up, and trudged to the beach. They immediately retreated to where the rest of the kids had fallen back asleep.

All the adults waited hopefully on the shore. Hoping that at last, they would get off the island. After what seemed like an eternity, a small boat could be seen coming towards them.

"Their coming! Their coming!" someone cried out. Everyone erupted into cheers and applause.

Someone else called out, "Jack, you should talk to them first."

"Oh, no," Jack said, backing up slightly from where he was standing. "I'm not in charge. We decided that I wasn't in charge."

"Things are different now," Kate said. "You should talk to them. Just tell them what happened."  
"I'm sure the whole world knows what happened. Oceanic Flight 815 took off for L.A. from Sydney, and never made it. Now, almost 8 years later, we all are the proud owners of death certificates."

"Jack, will you just do it?" Kate demanded.

"Fine, I'll do it, but if we don't get rescued, it's not my fault."

Locke looked around, and found that Walt was missing. He then noticed the young man hanging back, unsurely near the back of the crowd. Locked picked his way through the throng of people to get to him.

"Why are you standing way back here?" Locke asked him.

"Last time we almost got rescued I was kidnapped, I'm not that sure, even now if that's really a boat with safe people on it," Walt replied. His voice had gotten much deeper, and he closely resembled his Dad.

"I'm sure that you'll be fine. The Others are gone, and there are over 40 people here to protect you, you're safe," Locke said.

"I'd prefer to stay back here; I can hear the kids easily, if they need something."

Locke shrugged. "Suit yourself."

Jack and the others waited. After what seemed like an eternity, a small boat could be seen coming their way. Kate slid her hand into Jack's, and Jack gave it a squeeze. He could feel her trembling slightly.

"It's going to be ok. You'll see," he whispered in her ear.

"I hope so," she replied. The boat was almost at the shore.

"Hello out there!" someone from the boat called out. "Is anyone out there?"

"Yes!" Jack cried out.

"What are people doing way out here?" the voice called out again, this time closer.

"We were in a plane crash," Jack explained. They could now clearly see the boat. On it was 3 men. They waited until the boat came ashore before they continued talking. When the boat hit land, Locke, Sayid, and another survivor named Nick rushed up to pull it ashore.

"You said you're survivors of a plane crash?" one man said.

"That's right," Jack replied.

"How long have you been here?"

"I don't know the exact amount of time. What would you say, Sayid?" Jack asked, turning to his friend.

"I don't know. Aaron looks like he's around eight, and he was born just a few weeks after the crash. I'd have to say around eight years. I have the exact amount of days in our tent, which is at the caves," said Sayid. "Do you want me to go and get it?"

"No, don't go right now, everyone should stay together." Jack turned to the man he was talking to. "Sayid has been keeping a record of how long we've been here, and taking a look at Aaron, who isn't here right now, I'd have to agree." The men from the boat looked at each other in disbelief.

He asked Jack, "You mean to tell me that you've been stuck on this island for 8 years, and haven't done anything to get off of it."

"We had some people sail off of the island on a raft. Walt came back, said he was kidnapped. We found out the kidnappers were from this island, and took care of it as best we could. That was a few weeks after the crash. We don't know what happened to the others on the raft," Locke explained.

"Wasn't there something on the news about a trio that said that they were survivors of a plane crash? They said that the government went to go and find the island, only they never did," the man said.

"That sounds about right. Why don't you come with us to the caves, that way we can all sit down," Kate suggested.

"Thank-you, um…I'm sorry, but I don't know your names," said the man.

"My name is Jack, this is Kate, John Locke, Shannon, and Sayid," Jack said as he pointed to the group around them

"My name is Dominic," the man said. Jack shook his hand. "This is Andy and David. We're crew members on the cruise ship Oceanica."

"Welcome Dominic, to our little corner of the world," said Locke


	3. Leaving

**Chapter 3- Leaving**

A voice crackled out of the walkie-talkie on Dominic's belt. He immediately picked it up, and began talking into it.

"Yeah, Frank. We have survivors of a plane crash from 8 years ago here." He paused to hear what the man at the other end was saying.

"I don't know how many. We might just stay here until the sun comes up." He turned to Jack. "How many people are here?"

"We have a list back at the caves. That way, we can give you the exact number. It's around 50 or 60. Including children," said Locke

Dominic told Frank. "Looks like we can get you off the island tomorrow afternoon," he said to the group. Cheers immediately erupted, waking up the children.

"Mommy, what's going on?" Lily asked, walking up to Kate.

"We're getting off this island, sweetie," Kate said to her daughter.

"But I don't wanna leave!" the girl cried.

"Come on, you're tired," Jack said picking up Lily. The rest of the parents set off the take their half-awake children back to the caves.

Kate talked with David on the way back to the caves. He was amazed at how easily they made the 1-½ mile trip to the caves.

"You get used to it after a while. I start to forget how far it really is," Kate explained.

"So you guys live in caves?" asked David.

"Some of us do. Others live on the beach. It really depends. The people with kids prefer to live at the caves, because they don't have to travel that far for water. Claire and Charlie don't however; both had some pretty bad experiences there."

"It sounds like you guys have your own little community here. That makes sense though, seeing how long you've been here."

"When we leave, it'll take some getting used to when we get back to the rest of the world. Sometimes I'll forget that there are other people out there, I feel like it's just us."

"I could never imagine going through as much as you all did. It seems that you made the best of the situation."

"We tried. It was hard at first. It seems like we all had our problems. Charlie felt like we were all put on this island to overcome our problems. We became a family. Then, Boone died."

"Someone died after the crash?"

"Yes. A plane crushed Boone. It was stuck in the canopy of some trees, and he was in it trying to use the radio. The plane fell. He lost a lot of blood. Jack and Sun did everything they could for him, but he eventually died. He was Shannon's stepbrother. She took it really hard."

Kate stopped, they were now at the caves. David, Andy, and Dominic looked around in awe. The caves was now a little village. Tents had been pitched all around the caves, providing housing for the individual families. There was also a large campfire going in the middle of everything. Large stones had been placed around the fire pit to keep children away. The water supply was a waterfall that poured off the top of the caves into a small "pond" that seemed to be carved out of a large rock by the water. The children quickly scrambled to their beds, and were instantly asleep.

"Welcome," Jack said. "To our little village." Dominic slowly walked around. He stopped at a large plastic container at one end of the caves.

"What's this?" he asked.

"That's where the school is. Inside is books, we found this container, and it's used to keep the books dry," explained Hurley. "We got most of the books from Sawyer's hoard after he left on the raft. That's where we also got a good amount of our supplies too."

"This has to be one of the most amazing things I've ever seen. It honestly looks like a normal community," said Andy.

"As normal as you can get on a bloody island," Charlie said, which earned him a whack from Claire for his language. Charlie rolled his eyes, and turned back to their guests. "The sun should be rising in about an hour, so there's no use in going to sleep."

"Do you mind telling us about this plane crash?" asked Dominic as everyone sat around the fire pit. Locke was busy getting a fire going, Shannon seemed to have disappeared somewhere, as did Walt, so Kate took the role as story teller.

"We were all on our way back to the states from Sydney. We were about half-way there; I guess you could say when things went wrong. It seemed like turbulence at first, you know, the plane shaking, but then it got worse. The back half of the plane snapped off, and nobody survived," Kate started out.

"Except for Bernard," Rose said.

"Except for Rose's husband Bernard."

"Where is Bernard right now?" David asked.

"He stayed at the beach, I believe," said Rose.

Kate continued, "Around 40 of us survived, and things were going great."

"Until Ethan came around," said Claire quietly. So quietly, that people didn't think she said anything at first. Until she went on, "Ethan kidnapped me and Charlie. I have no recollection of the crash to this day. Charlie was almost killed, and I managed to escape. When Ethan was shot; we found out that he wasn't even on the plane."

"So you don't know who this guy is?" asked Andy.

"No clue. We had just assumed that he had been on the plane. A little while later, Claire had Aaron. It was around then that Michael got the idea for the raft," Jack explained.

"My Dad wanted to get off the island _so_ badly," Walt said. People hadn't even noticed that he was back. "We built a raft. It was able to hold 4 people, so it was me, my Dad, Jin, Sun's husband, and Sawyer. We spotted a ship on the radar Sayid gave us, so we shot up our only flare. The boat came back, and took me. They also blew up the raft. I don't know what happened to the others on the raft, but Locke heard me screaming for help one day while he was hunting, and before I knew it, I was back here."

Dominic said, "Sounds like you guys have had a rough time out here."

"We have, but we've made it through everything," said Locke.

"Well, you won't have to worry about any of that anymore. It looks like you're leaving this place this afternoon." The castaways looked at one another. This couldn't be happening. They were leaving. After waiting for what seemed like forever, they were finally leaving!

"So we're finally getting off this island?" Locke said at last. He was the first one to speak.

"Things will be crowded on the cruise ship, but we'll get you all home safely" explained Dominic.

Jack replied, "I don't think it really matters to us, as long as we get off of this island." Everybody laughed.

"How quickly can you get your belongings together?" asked Dominic.

"Not long," Claire said. "A better question is how quickly can we leave?"

"Soon, that I promise you. We have to get things organized on the ship before you can board, like I said before, this afternoon. Today is your last day here!" Cheers once again erupted. Their dream was finally coming true! They would be leaving!

The day passed as a blur to everyone. It involved explaining to the children as to _why_ they were leaving, and gathering personal belongings. Sayid went to look for Shannon, and found her kneeling in front of Boone's grave, crying. In an effort to console her, he wrapped an arm around her shaking shoulders.

"Don't worry, Shannon, everything will be alright. We can have a ceremony in remembrance of your brother when we get home. Don't worry," he whispered into her ear.

"I just don't feel right leaving his body here," Shannon said quietly. "I feel like I should do something about it.

"There's nothing you can do. His body's decomposed already, leaving nothing."

"I know that! It still doesn't feel right though."

Meanwhile, Jack and Kate were busy deciding on what supplies would be needed. They were sorting through suitcases, trying to find some clothes that they could use.

"Things are going to be different now, Jack," Kate said as she closed the suitcase they would be bringing, and placed it by the door to their tent. "I mean, there's a lot to think about when we get back to the States." Jack walked over to Kate, and wrapped his arms around her. Kate buried her face deep into his face, trying to calm down. She felt him rest his chin on the top of her head.

"Don't worry about any of that right now," he said as he slid his hands up and down her back. "Right now is one of the best days of my life. We're finally getting of this damn island."

"But then what? Don't you remember? I'm a _wanted_ criminal, Jack! The second I step off that ship, it's off to jail with me!" cried Kate. Jack struggled to console his wife.

"We're not going to worry about that right now. I'm sure being stuck on this island for eight years is worse then _any_ sentence those judges could ever come up with. I'll protect you, and I'm sure everyone else here will too." Kate looked at Jack. He always seemed to know exactly what to say. Jack looked deep into Kate's eyes, and lowered his lips to hers.

"Ew, Dad! Gosh!" exclaimed Tommy from the door to the tent. The parents whirled around, and saw Tommy trying to suppress laughter.

Jack picked up Tommy, and asked him what he was doing back at the tent. The kids were gathering up their books for the journey home.

"We're done. Everyone's playing at the beach now," explained Tommy. "Daddy, if we're not going to live here anymore, where _are_ we going to live?" Jack looked at Kate. They hadn't thought about that.

"We don't know right now. But it's not going to be on an island," said Jack.

"But why not?" Jack put Tommy down.

"Because that's not how you raise a child. Now run along, you Mom and I still have some packing to do."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Sure." Jack chased his son out of the tent, and went on packing.

Kate put down her bag on the beach, and went to find Jack. She had realized that they had forgotten about something.

"Jack?" she called out.

"Yeah? I'm coming!" Jack replied. Seconds later, the doctor was seen running out of the jungle. "What's wrong?"  
"We forgot something," said Kate. Jack looked confused.

"Forgot something? What did we forget?" Sighing, Kate took the gun out of her waistband. "These. We forgot about these. Do we just dump them in the caves, or should we go back to the hatch and lock them up?"

"Jack, I think we should lock those up. Just in case someone else lands on this rock, God forbid," Locke said from behind him.

"That's at least a one day hike there and back. If we want to do that, we need to get all the guns right now, and leave in no more than twenty minutes. Whoever isn't taking the guns back can get on the ship."

"That'll give us a chance to get anything that we need from the hatch," Sayid said, joining the circle.

"You ready to go?" asked Dominic. "Some people are already getting on the ship."

"Actually, we need to go and lock up our guns in the armory at the hatch. It's at least a one day hike there and back. We should be back by nightfall," explained Locke.

"I'll come with you. I want to see more of this island before we leave," said Dominic. Kate hoisted her backpack up on her shoulder.

"Then let's go," she said simply.


End file.
